Running a marathon is a pretty good description of how we make our way through life. The writer of Hebrews understood this too, using athletic metaphors that were very familiar to early Christians, and helping us to answer the questions: “How do we deal with difficulties and disasters as we pursue the dream that God has given us. How do we push past the agony of defeat and handle the human drama?”

What one word do you hear over and over if you watch any Olympic events? Dream. The Olympic dream, a dream of winning a gold medal, fulfilling a dream, missing a dream, a dream from childhood. Dream, dream, dream. But what happens when those dreams take longer than we ever imagined? What happens when God's timeline doesn't match our expectations?

Have you ever wanted to have a do-over in real life? We have to realize that because the past is already done, we can't really do things over. But what you can have is a fresh start. We can have a new start because God specializes in fresh beginnings for people. In Psalm 145 it says, "God gives a fresh start to those ready to quit." If you've ever felt like quitting, God can show you today that you can have a new start regardless of your background, regardless of what you've done, regardless of what you haven't done, regardless if your life is messed up.

Dream the impossible dream! It sounds great, but maybe you've experienced that crushing moment when your God-given vision hits what looks like a dead end, and you wonder if you'll ever see it come to pass. If so, you're in good company and you're exactly where God wants to work on your heart.